Happy, healthy Halloween!

Children and sleeping and other things they do and do not....

I've been chatting with my daughter a lot lately.  Well, we honestly talk every single day on the phone and least once and usually more than once.  It might be for just a minute to clarify a recipe, or it might be five minutes to discuss the current weather, or it might be for an hour, depending on the children's decibel level.  Why is it when you're on the phone and there are children in your house, the decibel level goes up and they want to talk to you?    Anyway, much of the time my daughter talks to me about her children and the difficulty of raising them.  Sometimes she asks for advice, but much of the time, I think she just wants someone to talk to about it who can commiserate and say, " Don't worry honey, this too shall pass."  (My MIL used to say this to me.)

One days while talking to OnlyDaughter on the phone, she was telling me about how her children don't sleep which translates into -- she and her husband don't sleep.  I don't think they've slept a whole night through since 2010.

As she was dumping her no-sleep woes on me, she said curtly, "It must be nice to sleep every single night, all night long."

I truthfully yet cynically said, "Yes, it IS lovely."

To which she sheepishly replied, "Ummm, I guess you've paid your dues."

To which I replied, "Ah, yes, I have!"

I am certain that I invented the shared family bed that is touted as the new modern family norm.  It wasn't meant to happen in my world, because I intended for every family member to sleep in his or her own bed always and every night without waking up, but when the mother is a totally exhausted zombie and the baby needs to nurse and the 2-year old has been up with a cough most of the night, everyone gets to sleep in the big bed.  One of our babies slept with us so much that he thought my silky nightie was his blankie.  In fact, he dragged it around the house with him to suck his thumb.  It was fine at home, but we couldn't have that in public or when the grandparents came so I finally bought a couple silky neckerchiefs  to stuff in my purse.  (Ah-hem.)

Just this morning I got an email from OnlyDaughter with the following video.  It was so hilariously true I just had to share it with you.  She said it reminded her of her just-married-brother who wants to start a family soon.  I hope it makes you laugh-out-your- eyes like it did me. 

Thawing the Bird....

My Thanksgiving Preparation wish for you....
May your turkey be slip-free and fully thawed, may your cranberries gel, may your buns be light and golden,  may your mashed potatoes be fluffy and your gravy without lumps, and may your pumpkin pies have flaky crusts and firm centers.  And above all, I wish you a little time for a cup of tea or mug of coffee and a moment to breathe deeply and give thanks.

 

Ah! on Thanksgiving day....
When the care-wearied man seeks his mother once more,
And the worn matron smiles where the girl smiled before.
What moistens the lips and what brightens the eye?
What calls back the past, like the rich pumpkin pie?
~John Greenleaf Whittier

No, this is not an ad for Toyota....

This is a Gumbo Lily post about empty-nesting.
Yes, it is! We don't even own a Toyota.
We drive a Malibu! (and dirty old ranch pick-ups)

Baby it's cold outside...

This is what we woke up to this morning. The wind and snow revved up last night and blew hard all night. We really thought we'd end up without electricity, but it was sustained. We even had the tractors fueled and ready just in case we needed to start the generators up.



I went out and helped Hubs this morning. Out in the feedlots, I opened, closed and guarded gates while he took the tractor in and out and cleaned away snow from the feed bunks and stockades. Look at these poor, snow-splattered Herefords. It's 25* F and we probably have about 30 mph winds which makes for a wind chill of 9*F. It's miserable out there.



This is my favorite corner of the house lately. I moved the rocker in front of the woodstove and find much comfort and warmth here. I don't even mind tending the fire and hauling in armloads of firewood. A hot cuppa and a book makes this a very cozy spot.

I've had a spell of heartsickness since the election has been decided. Obama was not my choice, but I wasn't all that wild about any of my choices. Now that all is said and done, I am off to do the next thing. I know that nothing comes about that hasn't been through My Father's Hands first and so I accept it. I'll accept that the people have chosen, but I'm not about to sit still and shut up. I won't sit quietly by because the President-elect doesn't know when life begins. I won't sit idly by if he chooses to raise my taxes because it's patriotic. I won't sit still when he decides to "spread the wealth around" or when he establishes socialized medicine. I AM going to carry on with living the way I always have.....worshiping God, loving my husband and kids, being the best homemaker I can be, living on a budget, loving my friends and strangers alike. I'll keep on doing what's right and good, and.... I'll expect my government officials to do the same. I'm going to have to carve out some extra time in the next four years to write my senators and congressmen more than I have been and perhaps I'll write the President too. It's nothing new to me, but I'll be redoubling my efforts.

Elections have their purpose. We will get what we deserve. I think about the chapter in I Samuel chapter 8 (I recently read this) where the people asked Samuel for a King. "We want to be like other nations. We want someone else to judge us and fight our battles for us...." Samuel prayed to God about this, but God answered, "Listen to them and give them what they want and warn them...." I think God is saying the same thing once again. Nothing's new under the sun.

Now for a little laugh from some of my favorite folk singers/comedienas -- The Smothers Brothers.
Take it, Tommy and Dicky!